Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The present invention relates generally to manufacturing processes and systems for producing shaped substances. More particularly, the present invention relates to a manufacturing method and system that forms a shaped, cooked product using ultrasonic energy.
The food industry typically is geared for the mass production of various different types of food products intended for consumption by animals, including pets and humans. A mass production assembly line often requires physically large pieces of equipment to handle the volume. Typically, the manufacturing process involves many steps, all of which must be performed at different stations. For example, a typical process for producing a food product (e.g., animal food) may include mixing the ingredients, emulsifying the mixture, shaping or extruding the emulsion into xe2x80x9cropes,xe2x80x9d cooking the ropes in a steam tunnel, cutting the cooked product, and storing the cooked product in accumulators until needed for later processing. The process further may include mixing the cooked product with other ingredients (e.g., a gravy), dispensing the mixed product into pouches, sealing the pouches, sterilizing the pouches, and commercial packaging of the final product. It can be seen from this example that numerous stations and large pieces of equipment are needed, all of which may require a large manufacturing facility. Thus, a mass production assembly line often is capital intensive.
To attain the most efficient use of production equipment, a particular assembly line often may be used to manufacture different variations of a food product. For example, the same assembly line might be used to produce a food product made of either chicken or beef To prevent contamination, the assembly line must be broken down and thoroughly cleaned and sterilized after producing the first variety before the line can be used to produce the second variety of the food product. Stopping and cleaning the assembly line is costly, both in terms of labor and time.
Such cost concerns dictate that large runs of a particular variety of a food product should be completed before stopping and preparing the assembly line for another variety of the food product. However, large runs of a food product mean that mass quantities of the product must be stored until needed. Oftentimes, spoilage and waste may result from inventorying the food product, thus further affecting the cost associated with a mass production facility.
For some food products, it may be desirable to produce relatively small batches at a given time to minimize spoilage and waste. However, it may be cost-prohibitive to use a mass production assembly line to manufacture low volumes of the product due to the expenses associated with stopping and preparing the line for production of a new product. Thus, it would be desirable to provide an assembly line that was cost effective for small batch production of a particular food product or variety of a food product. Using smaller equipment and reducing the number of stations through which the food product must pass could realize such cost effectiveness. For example, it would be advantageous to provide a station at which multiple processing steps could occur. In the case of an extruded or shaped food product, it would be desirable if the food product easily could be shaped and cooked in the same fixture.
In a conventional shaping fixture, a flowable substrate, such as an edible emulsion, is fed or pumped into a nozzle block having a plurality of ports. The continuous feeding of the emulsion into the nozzle block forces the emulsion through the block and out the ports, thus shaping the emulsion into ropes that are fed onto a large belt in the assembly line. The belt conveys the resulting ropes through a long steam tunnel in which they are cooked until reaching a temperature greater than 85xc2x0 C. It would be desirable if the shaping and cooking of the emulsion could occur in a single fixture, thus eliminating the need for a lengthy conveyor belt and steam tunnel.
It has become increasingly popular to produce food products having a variety of shapes and even more popular to provide multiple shapes in one package. Currently, the conventional method for providing multiple shapes is to complete an entire run for each shape. Multiple runs lead to large inventories of the shaped product. Moreover, this method also leads to delays in further processing and final packaging because a run for each individual shape first must be completed. Further, in accordance with many known techniques, the edible substrate is first cooked and then shaped using a shaping die, resulting in significant quantities of wasted material. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a fixture that could simultaneously cook and shape an edible substrate with minimal waste and that could simultaneously provide different shapes such that processing immediately could proceed to the next assembly step and final packaging.
In addition to shaped food pieces, hollow food pieces that may be filled with other food substances and food pieces having multiple layers of different ingredients are in demand. Currently, there is no known method of shaping and cooking either a hollow food piece or multi-layer food piece in a single fixture. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide such a fixture.
The present invention is directed toward a system and method of continuously forming a shaped, cooked product using ultrasonic energy. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a manufacturing process for producing a cooked, shaped product from a first flowable substrate is provided. The process comprises placing the substrate between a first shaped surface and a second shaped surface, the second shaped surface substantially surrounding and spaced radially outward of the first shaped surface. The process further comprises vibrating the first and second shaped surfaces to impart sufficient energy to the flowable substrate to harden at least one of an exterior surface and an interior surface of the flowable substrate.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a manufacturing process for making a cooked, shaped product is provided. The process comprises feeding a first flowable substrate through a shaping chamber that is defined by a first surface and a second surface. The second surface substantially surrounds and is spaced radially outward of the first surface. While the flowable substrate passes through the shaping chamber, the first and second shaped surfaces are vibrated to impart sufficient energy to the flowable substrate such that it retains its shape after exiting the shaping chamber.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, a manufacturing process for making a cooked, shaped product from a flowable substrate is provided. The process comprising shaping the flowable substrate by feeding the substrate through a shaping fixture comprising a plurality of chambers. Each of the chambers is defined by a wall having a shaped surface. Each of the shaped surfaces has a unique shape. While the substrate is fed through the chambers, the shaped surfaces arc vibrated to impart sufficient energy to cook the flowable substrate. When the flowable substrate exits the chambers, it is cut to form a mixture of uniquely shaped chunks.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, a manufacturing process for making a shaped cooked product comprises continuously feeding a flowable substrate through a shaping fixture that includes at least one cavity defined by a wall having a shaped surface. A sufficient volume of the flowable substrate is introduced into the cavity such that the substrate contacts substantially all of the shaped surface. The shaped surface is vibrated to impart cooking energy to the volume of the substrate introduced into the cavity. The flow rate of the substrate through the cavity is controlled such that sufficient cooking energy is imparted to thoroughly cook the entire volume of the flowable substrate.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention.